2010 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois

80% Grenache, 5% Syrah, 10% MourvŠdre, 2.5% Counoise, 2.5% Vaccarese. 12 months in foudre. 12,000 bottles.Very dark crimson. Claret style. Dry finish and very sophisticated. Intense and sculpted for the long term. Great control and balance. Lots of juice too.

Author: Jancis Robinson

A wine that might rival the 2001 when all is said and done, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de La Reine des Bois is an incredible effort that does everything right. Possessing a voluptuous, decadent and super-rich profile, it stays graceful and perfectly balanced, with beautiful freshness, a stacked mid-palate and a blockbuster finish. Opening up in the glass, with copious blackberry, cassis, graphite, violets and spring flower-like nuances, it needs another 2-3 years of bottle age, and will have upward of three decades of overall longevity.

Author: Jeb Dunnuck

Opaque ruby. Sexy, intensely perfumed bouquet presents candied dark fruits, spices and potpourri, with bright minerality adding lift. Deeply pitched but impressively energetic, offering sweet blueberry and cassis flavors and a jolt of cracked pepper. The floral and spice notes come back on the potent finish, which shows harmonious tannins and outstanding persistence. By smoothly playing richness off vivacity it's almost shockingly approachable now, not that I'd be touching mine for at least another five years or so.

Author: Josh Raynolds

Issue: January/February 2013